always over exposed

[dogsinfocus]

I'm using a Canon 5D Mark III and 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II and using AV Aperture Priority setting F11 ISO 100 and Picture Style Faithful - AI Servo - Center weighted average outdoor white balance

I can't seem to get my dam picture to be correctly exposed for some reason they always too bright I'm in AV setting Aperture Priority


Please help me fix this solution i love doing outdoor shooting and I'm trying to shoot pets also

I uploaded 2 pictures too show you thanks

 

[Photographiend]

You really ought to read a book that explains what the setting on your camera will effect. You have the correct ISO but in that kind of sun light you are always going to get over exposure. You can make it a smaller aperture and a faster shutter speed but then your shadows will be overpowering. You Need to get a book.

This is the one I started with when I did black and white photography over a decade ago. It does a good job explaining the basics.

A Short Course in Photography: An Introduction to Black and White Photographic Technique (4th Edition): Barbara London, Jim Stone: 9780130283177: Amazon.com: Books

 

[480sparky]

Check the Exposure Compensation setting.

And NEVER use the monitor to judge exposure.... use the histogram instead.

 

[dogsinfocus]

it's 7pm at night the sun should not be so intense like this -- so instead of F11 I should go higher or lower you think and all my other setting do they seem right -- metering mode and ect

 

[dogsinfocus]

Really whats the best way to understand this histogram !!! do you use light meters outside or no need for one

 

[480sparky]

Really whats the best way to understand this histogram !!! do you use light meters outside or no need for one

Click here.

 

[dogsinfocus]

Also when shooting outside in AV Mode what metering mode do you use I'm using Center-Weighted average I shoot either with One Shot or AI Servo - what picture style do you use most -- I'm using the Canon Mark III I'm trying to find best options to shoot outdoor action like sports or pets

 

[Photographiend]

The sun here is still pretty strong at 7pm. Especially if you are photographing a point that is in direct sunlight. Small aperture = less light but also a greater depth of field. Faster shutter speed = less details in your shadows.
As far as that lighting goes that is probably as good as it is gonna get. Maybe try again when the sun isn't hitting the building or an angle where you don't see the sun hitting the building.

 

[hirejn]

I'm using a Canon 5D Mark III and 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II and using AV Aperture Priority setting F11 ISO 100 and Picture Style Faithful - AI Servo - Center weighted average outdoor white balance

I can't seem to get my dam picture to be correctly exposed for some reason they always too bright I'm in AV setting Aperture Priority


Please help me fix this solution i love doing outdoor shooting and I'm trying to shoot pets also

I uploaded 2 pictures too show you thanks

This is a good example of why skill trumps equipment. The camera simply exposes for an average of the scene. But in bringing out more detail in the shadows, it overexposes the highlights. Expose for the light you want to capture. To learn this, you need to understand metering and exposure.

 

[dogsinfocus]

thank you what AF Point Selection to use for outdoor pets ?

 

[dogsinfocus]

last question AI Server AF 1st image priority what option do you use Release priority or Equal priority or focus priority ??

 

[hirejn]

AF point selection is subjective. If the subject is moving, select a focus area ideal for moving subjects, usually including an area of focus points, and use continuous servo. If the subject is relatively stationary, use single-shot focus mode and choose a focus point with the selection button. I don't know Canon stuff so check the manual.

 

[TCampbell]

The house isn't moving... that would have been used "One Shot" focus mode. "AI Servo" mode is for subjects which are constantly moving and require continuous re-focus. One might THINK that continuous focus ("AI Servo") would just be the best mode to use period... what's the harm in letting the camera do that? It turns out it's not a good idea. If you KNOW the subject is not moving, use One Shot. If you KNOW the subject is moving, use AI Servo. Use of AI Servo for non-moving subjects can and will occasionally make the camera think it may have noticed movement and it'll move focus to fix it. If you focus at that precise moment, you'll get an out-of-focus shot. Whereas if you use "One Shot" mode on a still target that would never happen. There's also "AI Focus" mode ... not truly a third mode. In that mode the camera takes a moment to evaluate whether or not it thinks your subject is moving. If no then it behaves as if you are in "One Shot" mode, and if yes then it behaves as if you are in "AI Servo" mode (in other words it auto-decides.) While that seems like a good idea... the downside is there's a slight delay while the camera makes this evaluation. For action photography where you're trying to capture that "decisive moment" you don't want the delay. In other words, knowing what you're shooting and just picking the right mode for the shot is always the best option rather than trying to get away with a catch-all mode.

As for which focus point selection mode to use, Canon has a 48 page guide on that and you really SHOULD read this guide. Go to this page: Canon DLC: Article: Master the EOS-1D X's AF System In the lower left corner where it says "Additional Resources" is the link to the PDF to download. It says 1D X but that's because it was published just prior to the release of the 5D III. The 1D X and 5D III basically have the same focus system and the guide is intended for both cameras (there's a _very_ slight nuance between the focus systems on the two cameras which that page describes.)

The camera has AF tracking modes as well as customizable modes for a variety of situations. If you read the guide you'll start to understand how they work. You have to ask yourself questions like... does the subject move at a fairly steady rate of speed (like a race) and tend to keep going in the same direction (also like a race). OR... does the subject move back and forth erratically? Do they start and stop suddenly? Will other objects be passing in front of my subject momentarily? Basically you're programming the camera to behave in a way consistent with how you expect your subject to behave. Only YOU can anticipate how you expect your subjects to behave. This was done because with no focus intelligence at all, the camera would just instantly refocus a given focus point to whatever distance is needed for whatever is located at that specific focus point at that specific moment (and that can cause erratic behavior). By having intelligent focus tracking, you're telling the camera that your subject will be moving around and it should hand-off focus to nearby focus points as the subject does that.

As for the house... the largest part of the problem is the dynamic range and time of day. You've got VERY harsh sunlight and deep shadow in the same frame. If this photo were taken at very early dawn or dusk, you'd have a much better shot. Part of knowing photography is knowing where to stand and WHEN to stand there. In the first ten or twenty minutes after sunset you'll have PLENTY of light but no contrast between harsh light and deep shadows to deal with. You could use your camera's HDR mode and let it take 3 shots (you may want to use a tripod) and the camera can auto-merge the shots.

You have an amazing camera... but I like to use the analogy that a Steinway is an amazing piano... but you DO have to know how to play it if you expect to exploit it to it's fullest.

 

[Ballistics]

I'm using a Canon 5D Mark III and 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II and using AV Aperture Priority setting F11 ISO 100 and Picture Style Faithful - AI Servo - Center weighted average outdoor white balance

I can't seem to get my dam picture to be correctly exposed for some reason they always too bright I'm in AV setting Aperture Priority


Please help me fix this solution i love doing outdoor shooting and I'm trying to shoot pets also

I uploaded 2 pictures too show you thanks

This is a good example of why skill trumps equipment.

Skill doesn't trump equipment. It's not a game of rock scissor paper.

Without proper technical knowledge, a camera will still take photos.
Without a camera, tell me how useful that proper technical knowledge is.

What this is an example of, is knowing the basics will allow you to identify issues.

The importance of equipment and the importance of technical knowledge go hand in hand.
Otherwise, there would be no use for $10k in equipment.

 

[cynicaster]

OP, all these terms you’re throwing around, do you know what they really mean, why they matter, and how they interact? I’m not being a smart ass, it’s an honest question. If you’re simply looking for “recipes” for certain situations , you’re probably going to have a hard time finding ones that don’t fall apart with even minor changes to the scene in front of you. You’d get better and more consistent results by shooting in green box auto or P mode than trying to build up a recipe book of manual settings without understanding them properly.

Also when shooting outside in AV Mode what metering mode do you use I'm using Center-Weighted average

If a scene has both shadows and brightly sunlit areas—like your house photo, for example—that is known as a “high contrast” scene. In Av mode, your camera calculates the shutter speed it thinks it needs to get the “right” exposure. The camera will make different decisions on this depending on where you tell it to look. If you’re using “center weighted average” then the camera will place more “importance” on the area near the center of the viewfinder when it attempts to take a reading of what light is available. So, if you place the center focus point on a shadowy area and set your exposure, then the camera will assume you’re trying to properly expose that shadowy area, and give you a longer shutter speed to let in enough light to do so. Unfortunately, this will lead to the sunny areas being over exposed, if not blown out entirely (as denoted by blinkies on your preview screen). If you do the opposite, and set your exposure on the sunlit areas, the shadowy areas will be very dark, if not completely black. Give it a try—keep everything the same on your camera, and take two frames—one while setting exposure in the shadow, and another in the light, and notice how the overall exposure changes accordingly.

Don’t be discouraged; capturing high contrast scenes is tough, and often involves a fair bit of compromise if you want to do it with a single exposure. The only thing you can do is learn how to work within the limitations of the technology to get the best result possible.

Personally, I’d recommend you stick with evaluative metering while you’re getting started. In that mode, the camera will take the entire frame into account when setting exposure rather than biasing the exposure to a certain part of the frame. Canon and Nikon both have their own black magic ways of doing this, but all you need to know is that it is the most general purpose metering mode available on your camera.